A Romanian neighbour? Most people wouldn’t even notice

Parliamentary privilege

Some facts and figures about the European Parliament, according to the parliament:
— The parliament annually costs €3.10 per citizen in EU member states (compared with €7.30 for Westminster).
— It received 1.4 million visitors over the past four years, with 790,400 visiting the Parliamentarium.
And some facts from Single Seat, the campaign for the parliament to stop shuffling between Brussels and Strasbourg:
— It costs an extra €180 million a year to have more than one seat.
— The Strasbourg parliament building is empty 317 days a year.
— Hotel prices in Strasbourg increase 150% when the parliament is in town.

Raising the floor

Ed Miliband has pledged to link the minimum wage to average earnings. How do minimum wages vary around the world?

Source: BusinessInsider, Eurostat

Neighbourhood watch

Nigel Farage suggested that Britons wouldn’t want Romanians as neighbours. Would we even notice?
— 36% say they couldn’t identify their immediate neighbours in an identity parade.